Family Garden

Places to Play and Entertain

Design and build constraints:

Large family garden
Low pollen and allergy planting
Integrate in new office / gym building

With so many people working from home either full or part time having a dedicated office space is becoming the norm. A large family garden which needed to accommodate a large garden office with separate gym and shower rooms. Due to the size of the building the decision was made to fit it into the length of the garden so as to lessen its dominance within the space. As the building was taller than 2.5m high it was sunken into the ground to avoid requiring planning permission. Integrating the building into the garden with landscaping was essential for the clients.

As a young family of five having a space to allow play, exploring and a chance for everyone to try growing their own fruit and vegetables was a must. Retaining a large area of lawn for running around and ball games needed to be balanced with spaces to sit and entertain or watch the children play. The existing patio was extended to enable dining and to accommodate a table tennis table. An additional area was also added for a small outdoor kitchen and BBQ area.

Planting needed to carefully be considered, with new plant choices not spikey or toxic whilst also being low pollen and allergenic. The majority of the new plants were selected as having a score of between 1 and 3 on the OPALS Scale.

Lights were positioned under three Amelanchier trees to aid travelling back and forth from the house to the office.

Having a space to allow play, exploring and a chance for everyone to try growing their own fruit and vegetables was a must